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I found the presentation interesting, although the now-established Apple style of virtual presentation is getting tiring. However, Tim Cook in the Tom Cruise break-in parody was worthy of a chuckle. Personally I could care less about Apple TV, Air Tags, and purple iPhones, so I guess I’m not the target market

Subscriptions for podcasts seems a bit bold (in a bad way). You’re getting these for free (or have been) and Apple has no role in their production. Given that Apple is already getting flak from regulators and developers for how the App Store is controlled, this move feels a bit tone-deaf.

More on point, the M1 iMac is what was predicted for this stage of the transition. It’s a nice machine designed for consumers. Yet it will be a nice machine for quite a few editors, too. Not enough ports, but that’s basically what the mini had. It seems like the hardware architecture is closely pinned to the M1 SoC design. That seems a bit limiting.

The big negative as I see it, is the return of the a/c puck for power. This does enable a MagSafe-style connection, but the puck adapter is something I was glad to get away from with the old Apple displays. It feels like a huge design mistake. The puck is also where you plug in Ethernet. Seems that the case could have been made a bit thicker and stick this stuff inside.

No space gray option. Probably being saved for some “Pro” version with the projected M1X chip later in the year. FCP did get a slight mention in this section, right along with DaVinci Resolve.

iPad Pro gets the M1 chip and Thunderbolt, plus 5G. The big news there is the XDR-style display on the 12.9” model. LumaFusion seemed to get the most love. Not only mentioned in this section, but shown on screens a number of times. Big promotion of Adobe Photoshop on the iPad Pro, too.

It’s noteworthy that none of these machines are available yet. You can pre-order starting April 30 and then they should be available the second half of May, according to the website. You can’t even review the custom configurations yet. I wonder if this smacks of some sort of supply chain issue?

Overall, an incremental step - most of which has already been leaked and/or speculated about.

Subscriptions for podcasts seems a bit bold (in a bad way). You’re getting these for free (or have been) and Apple has no role in their production.

Apple's role is in supplying the distribution pipeline and having a friction-free payment method. Perhaps the content producers were more than happy to be paid for their work for a change.

The big negative as I see it, is the return of the a/c puck for power. This does enable a MagSafe-style connection, but the puck adapter is something I was glad to get away from with the old Apple displays.

Just what I thought. "Magnetic. Awesome. How is that going to work with 240v. Oh, that's how." ☹️

And we wait for a pro-ish iMac to be released...

Can anyone give me a 'real life' example, how AirTags make my life better? Never understood the hype on this… gadgets. Maybe couches are smaller here…

And:
I'm confused - the M1 in a Laptop or Mini allows to run 'natively' iOS apps on DesktopMac. OK, whatever.. Now, the M1 in an iPad - makes it vice-versa possible to run e.g. Final Cut natively on a mobile touch-screen iPad???

… maybe someone can share some light…

Can anyone give me a 'real life' example, how AirTags make my life better?

If it can make your life better no one can say. But you could stick one on your bike, hide one in your purse/backpack, even car? If any ever get stolen—which has been known to happen 😉—you mark the Tag as stolen and with that, effectively every iPhone that comes close to it (maybe even Android since they talk about any “NFC-capable device”  for some of the features?) i.e. hundreds of millions of Apple devices around the world turn into your personal police. Something e.g. "Tile" wish they could claim, but never could, since it relied on its own app… which no one other than owners of one had installed. The reason it never took off as a "long-range" tool. It also doesn't have a U1 chip, so limited in that respect as well.

The  Chipolo ONE Spot is effectively the same thing as the AirTag btw, since it, too, has access to Apple's Find My… network. (but is also not equipped with a U1 chip, so there's that)

And all that for a measly 25 bucks. Whether that's worth it to you only you can decide. 🤷🏼‍♂️

Now, the M1 in an iPad - makes it vice-versa possible to run e.g. Final Cut natively on a mobile touch-screen iPad???

In theory, sure. But that hasn't changed any with the M1, since you could just as well have done it with the A12, seeing that the two are practically the exact same SoC. Only question is: why would you even want to? If you think that could actually make any sense then you can already do it via SideCar. And see how "useful" it is. 😏

I personally have no clue why anyone is screaming for this. FCP's GUI would have to be completely revamped for it to be useful for touch and not just a hack. But then there's already iMovie (which is 100% compatible with FCP) or even LumaFusion (which isn't)… just use them? Since who actually wants to do more than maybe dailies or a rough cut on an iPad? Seriously. And either app is perfectly fine for both, and more.

I agree, FCP on an iPad would have to be so drastically retooled, it'd not be the same. I'd never want to edit on such a small screen.

RSK wrote:

...I personally have no clue why anyone is screaming for this. FCP's GUI would have to be completely revamped for it to be useful for touch and not just a hack....

Exactly right. FCP (like Photoshop, Resolve or Premiere Pro) is a complex desktop app designed for mouse/trackpad & keyboard interaction. There are hundreds of menu items and myriad desktop-specific UI widgets -- pop-up dialogs, fly-out menus, drop zones, etc. Those were originally created assuming a certain screen "information density", the precision of a mouse cursor, and keyboard shortcuts.

With the current iOS UI constructs, there is literally no place to put all that stuff. And it's not just an aesthetic issue -- each UI item activates code which in turn controls features that certain users expect. It's not just a thin, easily-changed UI layer. The UI is deeply integrated into the complex app.

You can design a fairly complex app like LumaFusion for iPadOS -- provided it was *originally* intended for a touch interface on a tablet. From the outset those features are mapped to mobile UI constructs.

However AFAIK nobody has ever ported a highly-complex desktop app -- with full features -- to a tablet. M1 gives more horsepower but that wasn't the main problem. You can port a "simple" app like a web browser, or you can strip down a complex desktop app to a simplified, feature-depleted version and port that, but porting full-featured Photoshop, Resolve or FCP is much more difficult. You would also be giving up shortcut keys unless the "mobile" app mandated a keyboard, in which case why not run it on a thin, light, battery-efficient M1 MacBook Air, which can also run at least some iOS apps?

Due to the lower information density, it is much easier to run an iOS app on an M1 Mac than the reverse. For an iOS app on an M1 Mac, there are some issues remapping touch gestures to a keyboard/mouse/menu model, but that can be done, esp. with Catalyst to help expedite the port: https://developer.apple.com/mac-catalyst/

By contrast the only demonstrated way (thus far) to move a complex, full-featured desktop app to a tablet is literally run the desktop OS on the mobile device (like Windows Surface), and crudely re-map touch gestures to mouse/keyboard events, constantly zooming in/out to hit the tiny menus. It's theoretically possible that MacOS could run on an iPad Pro, but from a UX standpoint, that is a clunky way to handle things. I can't see Apple doing that.

Thus far, complex desktop apps ported to tablets have been stripped-down and very limited in features, e.g, Photoshop: uxdesign.cc/the-ipad-pro-deserved-a-bett...otoshop-6421f6f5238b

Hidden out there in the mists of the future is some convergence of mobile and desktop/laptop approaches. We don't know the best approach, only that it's difficult. We do how *not* to do it -- example A is Microsoft's initial approach for Windows 8 "Metro" which dumbed-down both desktop and mobile UI and APIs. Their initial plan (which is still on videos given by the Windows 8 architects) was to totally shut down Win32 desktop development of most apps and both MS and 3rd-party apps would use the tile-based "Metro" UI for both desktop and mobile. Obviously that didn't work out and most of those managers soon separated from the company. Compared to that disaster, Apple's slow integration approach (now streamlined by Apple Silicon) is brilliant.

RSK wrote:

…
If it can make your life better no one can say. …

Robin, quoting that phrase was just reflecting Apple Corps. mission statement…

I've seen that 'where did the airline transport my baggage' (or stolen bike, forgotten photo-equip, run-away dog etc) examples, and, being an old, confused man my own, a thing-finder based on the millions of Apple-products… ok, just iPhones 11/12, is technically impressive, but … a business opportunity for Apple? Useful in everyday's life? Hm....

The second part of my question , conc. FinalCut on an 12" iPad: You don't want it, I don't want it, but on many boards the question arises, maybe by folks with younger eyes… My question was more 'technically', I guess some brave-hearted minds will offer 'patches' soon - because, what is, internally, the difference of an iPad/M1 vs an Mini/M1?.......

… just asking, …

Exactly right. FCP (like Photoshop, Resolve or Premiere Pro) is a complex desktop app designed for mouse/trackpad & keyboard interaction. There are hundreds of menu items and myriad desktop-specific UI widgets -- pop-up dialogs, fly-out menus, drop zones, etc. Those were originally created assuming a certain screen "information density", the precision of a mouse cursor, and keyboard shortcuts.

↑ THIS ↑
Well put. Great post.
Apple isn't stupid and doesn't just do stuff because they can or because there is a confused and loud crowd screaming for it… just because, somehow, it would be "cool"? 🤨 Certainly not practical, as precisely outlined above.

M1 gives more horsepower but that wasn't the main problem.

That's NEVER been the problem. Not even with the last few generations of iPad since we know that even they smoked a 16" MBP in terms of overall performance.

An iPad could in fact e.g. run a 9 camera multicam better and smoother than an MBP… but picture that for a moment and then tell me, again: why in the world would you want to do that?

in which case why not run it on a thin, light, battery-efficient M1 MacBook Air, which can also run at least some iOS apps?

Bingo. It makes neither practical nor logical sense.

Thus far, complex desktop apps ported to tablets have been stripped-down and very limited in features, e.g, Photoshop…

Exactly. So if you want a stripped-down, grossly limited version of FCP on your iPad… YOU HAVE IT. It's called iMovie. Literally exactly that: Final Cut Express (which I actually wish they would call it!). On both Mac and iOS. 100% compatible.

We do how *not* to do it -- example A is Microsoft's initial approach for Windows 8 "Metro" which dumbed-down both desktop and mobile UI and APIs.

And might I remind people… 


Doesn't get much more succinct than that!

Compared to that disaster, Apple's slow integration approach (now streamlined by Apple Silicon) is brilliant.

Yep. And people need to learn to differentiate between (thoughtful and practical) OVERLAP vs. CONVERGENCE. Big difference. The difference between usefully sensible and just blindly pointless. The latter being what people are screaming for.

Karsten wrote:

… a thing-finder based on the millions of Apple-products… ok, just iPhones 11/12…

Nope. ANY iPhone can play police since that part runs via Bluetooth. The U1 chip is merely for the "point me in the right direction in my apartment" thing. Even any ANDROID (with NFC) can tap an as "lost" marked AirTag to get your prepared message/infos for return.

… a business opportunity for Apple? Useful in everyday's life? Hm....

Not exactly sure what that business opportunity could be exactly, unless you mean to sell iPhone 11s/12s, which, again, are not a necessity. Of course, some people may well jump on one or the other just to play hide and seek in their apt. all day. 😏

Like I said, the "useful in everyday life" is purely personal. I for one will in fact be getting a four-pack. One of them is going on my dog. 😉 (for which there are ALREADY collars … of course 🙄)

You don't want it, I don't want it, but on many boards the question arises, maybe by folks with younger eyes…

Nor does Apple want it IMHO. For all the above reasons.

My question was more 'technically', I guess some brave-hearted minds will offer 'patches' soon -

I wish someone WOULD come up with a patch. That way they could quickly see how utterly nonsensical the whole idea is and we could finally put the whole thing to rest…

because, what is, internally, the difference of an iPad/M1 vs an Mini/M1?.......

Even the previous iPad was barely any different than a Mac Mini! Apple Silicon is Apple Silicon, just as Intel is Intel. The differences are merely a core here or there or maybe some (V)RAM etc. Essentially like an i5 vs an i7. But the hardware is ultimately irrelevant i.e. not the deciding factor in this context. It's all about the software… in which case I don't mean the APP but THE OS.For me, the question is almost literally the same as if someone were to ask when PAGES will finally come for APPLE WATCH. 😒 Seriously. Possible? Sure! But how that equal it making ANY sense to actually do it?

There would literally have to be the aforementioned convergence of the OSs to a VERY high degree. Far beyond what it already is. And again, while I don't know any more than anyone else, at this point it not only would make ZERO sense to do that, but Apple is pretty clear on what THEY think of the idea. If haven't already, then besides the above video, watch this one as well to hear it directly from the (same) horse's mouth (they in fact talk about that exact moment from the above video):


(EDIT: ok, that's lame. Time markers are lost here. 🙄 It starts around 19:52 )

Gruber also makes a LOT of really great points that underline why the whole notion is just so stupid… at the moment. Two or three generations down the road? 🤷🏼‍♂️ But by then the entire software/hardware landscape will look different, too. To the point that no one can intelligently claim "See, they planned it all along and could have done it much sooner!"… but of course, they will anyway. 😏 - Cheers